Do You Trust Him?

Still inside the shaman's hut, LaRee sat across from his grandmother with a look of half-denial and half-shock. "What do you mean? Is my mother traveling other worlds too?!"

Arbory took one more sip of tea before her final sip of whiskey, pausing for a second to carefully choose her words.

Then, with an awkward smile and a tilt of her head, Granny Arbor said, "... Our current circumstances don't allow me to discuss what happened twenty-two years ago. But I can say that even your father doesn't fully understand why your mother couldn't stay with you. And the only way to learn the fullness of that truth is to find it for yourself, wherever it is that your mom ended up."

Such a startling fact was beyond what LaRee could process in a matter of minutes, let alone seconds.

LaRee slumped over the table. His mind finally considered the wild, unspoken dream that had appeared in the back of his mind only a few hours ago. And that dream was suddenly growing at a break-neck pace that LaRee could've never anticipated with his prior, limited knowledge.

"YAOOOH!! Ya, ya, ya, ya, YAOOOH!!"

"Cannibals!" LaRee yelled, bouncing back to his feet. He shelved the conversation, as well as all thoughts and emotions tied to the conversation. And he rushed to the entryway. "Stay hidden, Grandma! We'll repel them!"

But Granny Arbor was on her feet also, pulling another foreign object from her briefcase. She chuckled and shrugged, "If they came tonight, it's to kill us all. With your father injured, he can't fight at full strength. And the enemy knows that killing me will stunt our tribe, in the case that we're not completely wiped out. So of course I'll hide, Little Ree! But not without my gun."

She held a sleek, steel blaster, barely larger than her hand. The barrel was chrome while the rest of the pistol was matte black with white, rubber grips.

"Let your granny be. She can take care of herself."

That voice stopped LaRee in his tracks, as well as LaRee's heartbeat.

From the medical room, covered in bandages with his tomahawks and bow already equipped, Chief LaRoe walked through the curtain. He groaned slightly. But LaRoe's steady eyes were as keen as ever.

"LaRee, do you truly trust that young man?"

Of all people to ask that question, LaRee was momentarily stunned to hear it from his father, the man who Ayse had run over.

"LaRee," the chief hastily spoke again while walking to the entryway, "we don't have time to waste. If you don't trust him, then it doesn't matter. But if you do trust this Ayse, then pray to Sky God that he's as strong as you two were suggesting."

Without another word, Chief LaRoe bolted out of the hut with his half-empty quiver.

"Dad!" LaRee shouted, chasing after his father. "You were awake?!"

But all LaRee heard after exiting the hut was Granny Arbor's laughter from inside.

"Hurry, Little Ree," Arbory stated while stepping out of the hut. Her small gun was tucked into a thick, woven belt around her waist. "I'll join the common villagers in the meeting house. You've got work to do, so don't take too long with your new friend."

Hearing her say that did two things for LaRee.

First, it confirmed LaRee's immediate thoughts, *He was awake?! Damn you Dad… Why didn't you say something?*

Second, it got LaRee to fully tune into his warrior instincts and training.

LaRee dashed off, saying, "Be safe, Grandma!"

"You two, Little Ree," she yelled in return.

Not too far away, the growls and howls of wolves alerted LaRee of the ensuing battle. That helped keep his mind sharp and thinking of what he should do next. *The wolves are freed. So I don't need to go there. I need a bow, preferably mine. And… I should free Ayse!*

All the while, LaRee's feet carried him off to his small hut near the center of the village.

To his fear, the sounds of battle were drawing closer. That raised LaRee's fervor for battle to new heights, which he had never yet experienced.

It wasn't LaRee's first battle, nor his first battle with the cannibal tribe. But it was the first time it had ever happened so close to the village. And from the sounds of battle alone, LaRee understood that tonight's battle would be far larger and more gruesome than all prior skirmishes.

In under a minute, LaRee was in and out of his house. Both tomahawks were at his sides. His bow was drawn. And quiver only a quarter full was at his hip.

*Fast but accurate!* LaRee mentally chanted to himself. *Don't waste arrows. But don't waste time aiming. Follow Dad's training!*

A few cries rang out nearby as LaRee exited his hut. The growl of a wolf drew his attention straightaway, as well as the attention of LaRee's nocked arrow. As soon as LaRee confirmed it was a grey wolf at the edge of the village, he loosed his first shot.

Thwang, Frrip! Thud…

One hundred meters away, the blood-painted rider was shot down from his mount. And the wolf growled in anger as it spotted LaRee in the distance.

But as the wolf bounded forward, LaRee wasn't wasting time.

He already had a few arrows held in his mouth, making it easy for LaRee to fire his second shot at the same moment that the grey wolf had spotted him. That arrow landed in the wolf's leg. It wasn't a grave blow, but it drastically slowed the beast. Making it a far easier target with so much distance between the wolf and LaRee.

With two more shots, the wolf was downed and killed. It had only managed to cross half the distance before breathing its final breath.

That being said, LaRee had no time to relax. He put three more arrows in his mouth while nocking a fourth on the bow. And LaRee dashed toward the center of the village as quickly as possible.

With the battle still on the outskirts of the village, LaRee's only deterrent en route to the cage were the scared women, children, and elderly.

So, after a few minutes of running, the cage was in clear sight.

LaRee impulsively raised his bow and pulled back the drawstring. He hurriedly honed in on the centermost pole, where Ayse had been tied up all day. And LaRee prepared to cut Ayse free with a single shot.

But… LaRee then lowered his bow and relaxed his arm. It felt like LaRee's eyes were pulling a cruel prank.

Unable to contain his urgent, enraging thoughts, LaRee shouted, "Ayse fled?!"